﻿EXCAVATIONS 
  AT 
  ASKALON 
  — 
  GARSTANG. 
  515 
  

  

  periods, 
  notably 
  the 
  pre-Philistine, 
  the 
  Philistine, 
  the 
  Hellenistic, 
  

   the 
  Graeco-Roman, 
  Byzantine, 
  and 
  Arab. 
  Having 
  been 
  able 
  by 
  

   direct 
  evidence 
  to 
  recognize 
  these 
  levels, 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  pottery 
  

   and 
  other 
  objects 
  found 
  in 
  them 
  became 
  the 
  first 
  criteria 
  by 
  which 
  

   to 
  test 
  and 
  establish 
  results 
  of 
  other 
  similar 
  soundings. 
  Thus 
  

   armed, 
  we 
  cut 
  down 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  field 
  numbered 
  19, 
  which 
  fronts 
  

   the 
  sea, 
  to 
  the 
  bottom, 
  nearly 
  to 
  sea 
  level. 
  This 
  cutting 
  was 
  done 
  

   with 
  deliberation 
  and 
  method, 
  and 
  was 
  again 
  entrusted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  

   Phythian 
  Adams, 
  who 
  is 
  still 
  studying 
  the 
  results 
  in 
  the 
  light 
  

   of 
  previous 
  and 
  other 
  evidence. 
  He 
  will 
  in 
  due 
  course 
  publish 
  his 
  

   detailed 
  report 
  and 
  scientific 
  conclusions. 
  Broadly 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  

   that 
  the 
  affinities 
  to 
  the 
  pre-Philistine 
  settlers 
  are 
  recognizable, 
  with 
  

   a 
  distribution 
  centering 
  (upon 
  present 
  evidence) 
  in 
  Cyprus 
  and 
  

   ranging 
  through 
  Syria 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Egypt. 
  The 
  Philistine 
  affinities 
  

   are, 
  however, 
  unknown. 
  The 
  distinctive 
  pottery 
  fragments, 
  &c, 
  

   are 
  numerous 
  and 
  are 
  carefully 
  noted 
  for 
  future 
  reference. 
  They 
  

   are 
  not 
  of 
  a 
  known 
  Egyptian 
  character, 
  nor 
  are 
  they 
  Cypriote 
  or 
  

   Hittite 
  or 
  Cretan. 
  They 
  are 
  in 
  some 
  ways 
  similar 
  in 
  general 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  to 
  sub-Mycenaean 
  or 
  Late 
  Minoan 
  wares 
  (Class 
  L. 
  M., 
  Ill 
  b), 
  

   but 
  this 
  resemblance 
  only 
  confirms 
  their 
  date. 
  The 
  finger 
  of 
  prob- 
  

   ability 
  must 
  point 
  to 
  some 
  unexplored 
  spot 
  in 
  the 
  Northeastern 
  

   Mediterranean, 
  presumably 
  upon 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Asia 
  Minor 
  

   for 
  their 
  source 
  or 
  inspiration, 
  some 
  spot 
  which 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  

   Aegean 
  would 
  affect 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  dominate. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  absence 
  of 
  comparative 
  material 
  — 
  which 
  was 
  in 
  fact 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  anticipated 
  — 
  no 
  certain 
  conclusion 
  can 
  as 
  yet 
  be 
  indicated. 
  

   When 
  one 
  considers, 
  moreover, 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  migration 
  

   which 
  heralded 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  Philistines 
  upon 
  the 
  threshold 
  of 
  

   Egypt 
  in 
  the 
  reign 
  of 
  Rameses 
  III, 
  and 
  takes 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  

   episodes 
  of 
  the 
  movement, 
  the 
  long, 
  struggling, 
  adventurous 
  journey 
  

   around 
  the 
  coast, 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  surprising 
  to 
  find 
  little 
  or 
  nothing 
  

   in 
  the 
  earliest 
  strata 
  of 
  Philistine 
  occupation 
  to 
  represent 
  the 
  cul- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  their 
  homeland, 
  unless 
  it 
  were 
  their 
  arms 
  which 
  they 
  would 
  

   not 
  relinquish 
  and 
  which 
  were 
  not 
  subject 
  to 
  ordinary 
  accidents. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  contact 
  reestablished 
  after 
  settlement, 
  and 
  the 
  coming 
  of 
  

   fresh 
  settlers 
  of 
  their 
  kind, 
  that 
  would 
  leave 
  more 
  common 
  traces. 
  

   Consequently 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  our 
  earliest 
  material 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  most 
  

   distinctive. 
  If, 
  however, 
  tombs 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  Philistines 
  can 
  be 
  

   found 
  with 
  some 
  good 
  examples 
  of 
  their 
  armour, 
  we 
  shall 
  add 
  

   greatly 
  to 
  the 
  essential 
  element 
  of 
  our 
  evidence. 
  We 
  can 
  also 
  pro- 
  

   ceed 
  at 
  once 
  to 
  determine 
  by 
  soundings 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  Philistine 
  occu- 
  

   pation 
  in 
  successive 
  centuries 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  

   their 
  remains 
  already 
  identified, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  this 
  investi- 
  

   gation 
  over 
  a 
  more 
  extended 
  field 
  we 
  may 
  hope 
  for 
  some 
  new 
  material 
  

  

  